Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

Ordered the 21th
Production started the 26th
Finished and transport to Europe on the 30th.

Expected delivery date: tomorrow (or probably the day after tomorrow, never think too positive and get disapointed xD).

 

What exact software is missing?
Are you saying that if we do a clean install of Windows, we will loose
the ability to use the BLURAY Player all together?? Is this because their
is no drivers to download to enable it. Or is it physical software??

 

I have not purchased yet, please refer to the original quote in which I am trying to get answer as well.

 

Hi,

I've been looking to replace my desktop with reasonable priced powerful laptop. After reading this very interesting thread and wonderful review by pdagal it seems that the S15 model could be the one to get.

Going to use it mostly with external monitor+keybord+mouse so I might get docking station too. There are new docking station models for S13 and S15 with built in 500GB HDD. I was wondering does someone here have any info on those:
- Does the HDD show up as normal disk in Windows or is it just for automatically backing up the internal drive?
- Can you replace the HDD in docking station with bigger capacity one
- Data transfer speeds through docking stations connection (same as internal sata speeds)?

Could be nice combo to swap internal HDD with SSD and have bigger HDD in docking station as more static data storage (and as backup device).

I did send email for Sony customer services here in Finland asking those same questions, but no answer yet.

For S15: VGPPRS35

For S13: VGPPRS30

Thanks.

 

Order date: 6/21
PS3 ship date: 6/22
Est. ship date: 7/16
Actual VAIO ship date: 7/2

I'm getting it shipped express though, so should get it really soon.

 

Hello all, I just ordered my Vaio 13A yesterday, very excited. There are a few questions I wanted to ask the owners of the 13 model. I know these have been covered I'm sure at some point so I apologize.

I have a new Samsung 830 256 SSD(non kit). Does this drive need a spacer to be installed because it being 7mm? I know it was confirmed on the 15in model it doesn't need a spacer but I didn't see if it was confirmed for the 13in model.

Also, to install this drive, where would I be able to get the best cloning software(simple to use)? Or could I install this SSD from the recovery disks? Such as swapping the HHD for the SSD and then loading the recovery disks? I don't want to attempt a clean install of windows and load drivers because I just know I'd "F" it up somehow. Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks all.

 

Did you read the first post of the whole thread?

Re using recovery disks - why? Really, it will be a faster system from a clean install, theres still a fair bit of sony bloatware. It's really not hard to do a clean install. Also, the laptops dont come with recovery disks per se, so you have to make your own.

Petrov.

 

@djcuze
When you do a clean install of windows you will not have the blu ray decrypter/player software because it doesnt come built in to windows. As far as drivers go, those will all be installed and work fine and dandy, and it'll be able to read all your disks. Blurays will show up in explorer they just wont be able to be played until you install a third party bluray decrypter/player. I did some research and found DAPlayer, which is free and supposedly plays back blurays. I haven't tested it out myself as my dang S15 hasn't gotten here yet, but its probably worth a try and here's the link: DAPlayer - Free HD Bluray Video Multimedia Player Software If that doesn't work and you REALLY want to do a clean install then your next option is powerdvd or windvd pro, but both of those are paid software.
Other than that i believe all the drivers/utilities that sony has preinstalled are available for download, with the exception of Vegas, Acid, and Soundforge, which you probably stuck without if you do a clean install because I don't see downloads for them on the Sony site.

 

Petrov, I am sorry. Of course I started reading after page 10 like a goof assuming people would have there PC's already later in the posting. I would do a clean install if you say it's not that bad. I'm not completely computer savvy when it comes to that. I'm not sure sure how to download Win7 ISO on a usb but I'm sure I can google instructions. Did you download the drivers from sony on external storage or did you just install them directly from the site after clean install? Thanks

 

Heywhitmarsh, I did not add the blu ray option to my setup, thanks though.

 

Paragon Migrate OS to SSD is a nice tool for transferring a Win7 install to an SSD.

 

No need to apologise! It's important you download the Sony drivers to external storage - eg a USB stick or CDROM/DVD - before you start the clean install.

Petrov.

 

Is optical drive bay also capable of sata3 speeds? I wonder if i could install SSD to optical bay and leave HDD on its original place.

 

I think my S13A also shipped with yours. My estimated arrival date is 7/05 in Toronto, Canada.

 

its actually much easier to just burn a windows 7 iso to DVD and install from that instead of usb stick, as you dont have to change the boot order in bios or anthing.

google will give you a step by step on how to do it,

 

Nice! Glad they won't be lonely on their trip overseas

 

Docking bay blues...

well, I read a review of the free docking bay offer from the sony store; I called customer support to ask if it was possible to run 2 monitors using the bay..they lied and said it was possible.

however, i looked up the manual to the docking bay and i was sad to see it only supports either the hdmi or vga and not the use of the laptop monitor with either of the other two ports

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/VGPPRS30_PRS35.pdf

 

I finally gave in and purchased the S15 after reading a lot of this thread. Thank you all for your input. My est date is 7/10 but I am in the USA.

I have some newbie questions. This will be my first SSD. I have purchased the Samsung SSD 256 gig like many of you did. I did read the first post but wondered if you could load a fresh copy of Windows 7 a different way...

My questions is... Instead of backing up Windows 7 to a flash drive or DVD, can I use a Windows 7 install disk from a different system? Of course I wouldn't use the registration #'s from that system but just the disk.

I have seen it asked many times but not answered. Is it possible to load the Sony blu ray software to a Disc and move it over to the fresh SSD?

How much battery life difference is it if you purchase the 1.5 instead of the 1.3 low voltage memory? I believe someone said it was not enough to even note but it would be nice if this was tested.

Has anyone overclocked the video card yet? I read some of you were curious about it but I never saw any results/tests posted. I am curious what could be pushed out of it and still be reliable.

Here are my specs:

No Fresh Start
Blu-ray Disc™ player
3rd gen Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM quad-core processor (2.10GHz / 3.10GHz with Turbo Boost)
4GB (4GB fixed onboard + 1 open slot) DDR3-1333Mhz
Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (2GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology 15.5" LED backlit Full HD display (1920 x 1080)
500GB (5400rpm) hard drive

 

Ninjaneuro, Thats sucks yeah. This was one reason why i got Toshiba U3 USB3 dock instead. I need 3 screens. Perhaps even 4 screens possible with U3.
Notebook inner screen, one external connected trough vga/hdmi and 2 externals connected to dock.
Since i do GPU intensive stuff only on one monitor(connected to notebook hdmi), the bandwith of USB3 should be enough for my needs on other 2 monitors.

 

If sony soldered memory works on 1.5v by default then it doesnt matter, if you purchace the low voltage additional stick. It will still work on 1.5v.
Also theres is no point to buy faster memory. It will still be 1333 cl9 like it is on soldered stick.

 

I believe you can use *any* genuine Windows 7 disc as all discs contain every version of Windows 7. There is one specific file on the disc though that dictates what version is installed. By removing this file (ei.cfg I think) when creating a boot usb drive, Windows will ask you what version you want to install.
So the short answer is yes, you can use a Windows install DVD provided its the same version as the serial key you have.

I don't know too much about the blu-ray software but from what I've gathered here, no you cannot "lift-and-shift" the blu-ray software to a fresh install. That software is only provided if you use the Sony recovery discs.
EDIT: I stand corrected - someone has managed to do it - see here

As for the RAM, I have no idea if it saves battery using a lower voltage. However I wouldnt have thought a 1.5V dimm would actually use 1.5V if the other is 1.35V - I assumed any dimm would use 1.35V so you would have to get a 1.5V dimm that doesnt mind running on 1.35v. I'm not sure on this so some info from someone who knows would be helpful.

 

It's a shame the dock is so bonk; I mean, they just released a new version and it has the same exact problems.

 

Windows 7 Codec Pack - CNET Download.com

It says it supports Blu Ray in media player. I can't test yet due to the fact I will not be purchasing till months end. But maybe someone else in the same boat could try.

 

The stock 4gb stick is 1.35, I have a 1.5v 8 gig laying around but I will not put it in if its going to suck my battery life down.

 

it's this -> Sony Docking Station for 13.3 inch S Series: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories the dock for the S13(A) right?
If so, I don't get why they didn't put a speaker output replicator. That's just silly.

 

Here is a quick question.. Below are the specs on an S 15.5" that I'm looking to custom order. My question is, is this too much for what I need? I would like
to get start learning Photoshop and also do some video editing with the Sony
Vegas program. Am I going overboard here with the Quad-Core CPU?
I will be upgrading the Ram by purchasing an 8gb from crucial, but i'd like
to know if I really need all these specs that i'm thinking of ordering. Other
than editing, i will mainly be using my computer for Webbrowsing, watching
videos. I will NOT be using it as a gaming device..


3rd gen Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM quad-core processor (2.10GHz / 3.10GHz with Turbo Boost)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (2GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
4GB (4GB fixed onboard + 1 open slot) DDR3-1333Mhz
500GB (7200rpm) hard drive
Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium
Bilingual (English/French) with Backlight
15.5" LED backlit Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080)
Blu-ray Disc™ player
Internal lithium polymer battery (4400mAh)

White (Exclusive for Custom Laptops)
No Engraving
No Anti-Virus
Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter
Fresh Start

$1409.99 CDN

 

Quick question - is it normal for all 13.3 inch laptops with 1600x900 displays to display everything so small? I received my S13A today, and it's great - I'm just not used to the tiny font on everything.

 

Which drivers for the S13P restore FN button functionality? I was deleting many Sony VAIO specific tools that I wouldn't need but I accidentally wiped my ability to change screen brightness and volume and etc.

ty in advance <3

 

yes that is normal; it's a tiny screen with a high resolution. You can adjust font sizes in windows though.

 

I think the i5 will be more than enough, as well as just 1GB of VRAM. With the money saved, buy some ram from a third party for either about $25 for another 4GB of RAM, or $50 for another 8GB. That will help you more than the i7, unless that is you are pretty serious about the video editing and its something you might be doing on a daily basis, then go for the i7.

 

I might've missed it in the thread, but how's the battery on the new S15 (not 13) treating people?

 

I just got 3:40 on stamina mode, however I am using an external monitor, and I am not knowledgeable enough to know if that effected the battery time? Otherwise, kind of disappointed. Surfing and word processing by the way. Oh and you know what, the actual laptop screen was off, since the monitor is on. Hmmm.

 

I received my S13 today.
I am really happy with Gunmetal Premium case.
Palm rest looks the same and great.
There is one thing I am sad about is my old docking station (for SA3) won't fit S13 just because Sony fliped dock connector.

 

Hi All, Today I just got my new Sony Vaio S15. I'm very happy. Ordered additional 4 GB ram from Amazon. After reading this thread, I wanted to upgrade SSD by replacing DVD drive. Before upgrading I have couple of questions.

Regarding SSD, I read in this forum everyone upgrading to Samsung 256gb SSD, right now I don't see it on sale in Newegg while googling I found this one for

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F240GBGT-BK 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $180

We can use this SSD or do we need to use only samsung SSD. Any suggestions??

Also while looking for SSD, what specs should I look like ?? I bought one T-series for my sister and S-Series for myself, boot-time for T-series is less than 10 seconds. Can I get same boot-time for my S series after adding SSD?

Any Suggestions??

 

Initially I thought there was something wrong with my SSD (I was freaking out), my boot order or my installation copy of Windows 7 but it appears that my issue is installing the OS and having it be recognized by UEFI. I followed this guide: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=209045 However, I was unable to confirm that the environment was UEFI and seem to be stuck having to use Legacy. I'm wondering:

1) Is there some missing step to make this work? I used the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool to create my USB, moved the boot directory and added the efi file. Am I missing something?

2) Is this a problem worth worrying about? If I have the laptop set to always boot in Legacy and don't plan on dual booting at this time, is there any major downside to just staying in Legacy?

 

You can use any SSD you like, as long as it's 9.5mm or thinner. And your boot time should improve to 10 seconds, yes.

 

Are you sure, that it can not run inner screen plus external screen together?
That would be extreme dissapointment. Most of todays notebooks can run at least 2 screens. If this cant then thats a major mistake by sony.
Even my 2011 s13 can run vga external + inner screen together on 6630M or HD3000. Both run it just fine.

 

If you're willing to pay for Blu-Ray playback software, I recommend ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theater 5 - it's better than PowerDVD and WinDVD. I installed the trial version on my VAIO S13 after I performed a clean install of Windows 7, and I plan to purchase the full software when the trial runs out.

You might want to do a little more research. It seems that the company responsible for DAPlayer is not to be trusted. See this link for more information:
Digiarty has some nice software but they are not a company to be trusted.

If I'm remembering correctly, you need both "Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device Driver" and "Sony Shared Library" under System Components, and "Hotkey Utilities" under Hotkey on the drivers page.

 

yes the laptop can output to its own screen + an external. He was just expressing surprise that his battery hadn't lasted long, EVEN THOUGH the screen powered by the laptop - the internal one - had been turned off (manually)

 

in my VAIO Care, if i select "Recovery & restore" on the left, and from the choices on the right, select "Reinstall Applications and Drivers", it pops up another window which lists Cyberlink PowerDVD as one of the programs that can be reinstalled. so the installation files of PowerDVD are definitely somewhere on the hard disk. i have yet to find them.

i have not clean installed Windows on my machine, btw.

 

The real question is if the various apps included with stock VAIO installs will appear in VAIO Care if you install it onto a clean Win7 install. If it does, then you're good to go, do the clean install and then install VAIO Care and then use that app to download and install the stock apps you want like Cyberlink PowerDVD 9.

My Thinkpad T400 has a genius keyboard layout where the Up arrrow key has two special keys to its left and right which serve as Browser Back and Forward keys. This is amazingly useful if you have your hand already on the arrow keys to scroll the page up and down. It's too bad the Function + Key commands can't be customized on these laptops, it would have been nice to be able to configure some keys as Forward and Back like on my Thinkpad.

 

Possibly stupid question: You know ALT+ left/right arrow work as browser previous and next as well right (incl windows explorer etc)? and if your more of a keyboard user the key combination should not be too far away for your hands

 

I don't know if it was posted before but here is a first review (in german)

Vaio S13

Have fun

 

Thanks for the info, just wanted to check that the lid was indeed (mainly) magnesium in construction. Not looking for extreme durability, but I am looking for durable materials and the magnesium should suit my needs.

Also, does anybody know if the new models come with the remote software as featured in last years models (Remote Keyboard and Remote Play in particular)?

 

Wow, I didn't know this! This is quite possibly the most useful thing I've learned all day! Thank you!

 

What brand SSD and memory card comes with VAIO S15?

 

The Windows USB/DVD tool creates an NTFS formatted boot drive. You cannot use an NTFS boot drive with UEFI for installing Windows, you need FAT32.

Do this: Configure a USB flash drive to be a Windows 7 installation platform | TechRepublic

And then do this: Installing Windows 7 in native EFI mode from USB - bit-tech.net Forums

 

Alternatively if you want to use a tool, use this Universal USB Installer – Easy as 1 2 3 | USB Pen Drive Linux and select windows 7 from the drop down menu. Then proceed with the bit-tech UEFI guide. These are the steps I followed.

 

Does anyone know what the color saturation/gamut is like on the new S13 1600x900?

 

I feel stupid now. I did the first step (mainly because the Windows USB/DVD tool doesn't clean) but now that you mention it, I distinctly remember it saying "Formatting" when I used the tool.

Why didn't UEFI work from the DVD though? And is there really that big of a difference between UEFI and BIOS? I don't have a drive larger than 2TB and doubt there will be a huge difference in boot times.